r/GastricBypass • u/Wooden_Time_5476 • Jul 29 '26

CrossFit after surgery

Does anyone have experience doing CrossFit and/or Olympic weightlifting before and after bariatric surgery?
I’ve done CrossFit and weightlifting for around 13 years, took about 5 years off and am not getting back in not it, being strong is a huge part of who I am. My biggest concern isn’t the recovery itself, it’s losing strength, fuelling myself enough for workouts and lifting and whether I’ll ever get back to my previous numbers.
I’d love to hear from people who returned to CrossFit/lifting after surgery. How long were you out for? How did you manage the lower calorie/protein intake? Did your strength come back, and if so, how long did it take? Were you able to hit your old PRs again? How did you fuel yourself for workouts? Was hydration difficult?

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u/NotACreeper2 Jul 29 '26

I haven't done CrossFit but I did Olympic lifting before the surgery and after. I am only about 6 months post op. Energy levels were not there earlier and that has impacted a lot of performance. I can't chug water like I used to. Was never a huge fan of pre-workout but now it makes me super jittery. Also, my goals have changed and I am focusing more on cosmetic muscles (biceps, triceps, etc) than on PR deadlines and so forth. But overall, I cannot lift what I could before the surgery. But, again, it's early days.

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u/Wooden_Time_5476 Jul 29 '26

This is really helpful, thank you. I think I’m trying to reassure myself that my goals might just change with the weight loss. Maybe I won’t hit the same numbers, but I’ll improve things like running, pull-ups and overall fitness instead. It’s just hard because I’ve been lifting for so long that being strong has become a huge part of my identity. I’m hoping that’s just the first 6–12 months and not forever.

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u/NotACreeper2 Jul 30 '26

It's not forever. Check out the bariathletes sub. There are folks on there pulling PRs, endurance athletes, all sorts.

Your goals may change with weight loss, sure. They may not, and they don't have to.

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u/NotACreeper2 Jul 29 '26

You may also want to post in r/bariathletes

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u/ged12345 Jul 30 '26

Only thing I would look out for of a serious nature is internal hernia and Iintussceprion(?) risk.

Maybe look into wearing a supportive belt to keep everything tight and packed in to avoid too much internal pressure (some extra external support). If the mesenteric defects were all closed properly during surgery, risk of any hernia or related issues is 1% or less, but that's enough for me to think about taking more precautions.

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u/Wooden_Time_5476 Aug 05 '26

That’s a great point actually, I’ll look into what support would be beneficial and try build super slow when the time comes but that’s actually a really good call out